


"Betrayal"

by Mythyk



Series: The Way We've Written Ourselves [3]
Category: HLVRAI - Fandom, Half-Life VR but the AI is Self-Aware - Fandom
Genre: Act 3: Part 1 ending, Alternate Ending, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Post-Canon, Gen, Injury, Referenced Body Horror
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-19
Updated: 2021-02-19
Packaged: 2021-03-14 06:07:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,203
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29537967
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mythyk/pseuds/Mythyk
Summary: Not-Gordon knows it’s the place where Gordon’s supposed to lose his arm. But they also know Benrey hasn’t been whispering with Bubby. Not-Gordon asks Not-Benry for help, to prevent Gordon’s loss of an arm.
Relationships: Benrey & Gordon Freeman, Benrey (Half-Life) & Original Character(s), Gordon Freeman & Original Character(s), Original Character & Original Character
Series: The Way We've Written Ourselves [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2072463
Kudos: 1





	"Betrayal"

**Author's Note:**

> This is one that I like because of the anticipation... The way that knowing things might change a scenario.  
> CW: mentions of injury, mild body horror, death (all specified in end notes)

Gordon leaned back against the hard-concrete wall, struggling to stay at least somewhat standing. His right leg was likely fractured at this point, being partially healed whenever the group found a medical station, only to become more damaged the longer it persisted. He tilted his head back, eyeing the metal platforms above this space. Despite everything, or maybe because of it, he knew exactly where they were. He wasn’t looking forward to it.

“Gordon, there’s surface access up here!” Bubby called out.

Too familiar a phrase. He closed his eyes and took a breath.

“I’ll be up there in a moment,” he yelled back. Gordon then turned to look for the blue-clad person. “Hey, Benry, can you come over here for a second?” he made a “come here” gesture ask he spoke.

The security guard sauntered over, while Dr. Coomer and Tommy ran up to meet Bubby.

Gordon took a breath. “You know what’s next, yeah?” Not-Gordon asked.

Not-Benrey nodded, glancing up.

“I… I need the med station,” Not-Gordon let out with a rush of air, looking to the side.

“Bro, can’t we just… wait until later?” Not-Benry shifted uncomfortably.

Not-Gordon eyed them out of the corner of their eye. “If I keep walking on my leg, I might actually cause permanent damage to it. I _need_ that med station.”

“But the…”

“I know,” it replied to the unfinished question. “So. Can you help me?”

“I- yeah.”

Not-Gordon patted Not-Benry’s shoulder with a small, “Thank you.”

Gordon made a move to stand, but his right leg chose that moment to give out. At least Benrey was there to catch him, keeping him at least partially standing.

With one arm wrapped around his waist and the other holding Gordon’s arm over their shoulder, Benrey helped the physicist make his way up to an impatient Bubby, all too eager to keep moving ahead.

“Gordon, get a move on!” Bubby yelled, running towards him partway then running back towards the supposed “surface access.”

Not-Gordon cringed slightly, not enjoying the more-than-déjà-vu feeling, continuing to move forward.

Bubby didn’t quite reach the room, instead waiting for Gordon to take the lead. Like before. Like Not-Gordon remembered. They didn’t really hear whatever Bubby was saying. Instead, Gordon focused on moving forward, one hand gripping the fabric on Benrey’s shoulder.

The moment Gordon was about to step into the room, the lights when out, plunging the Science Team into darkness.

Carefully, Gordon slid his arm from around Benry’s shoulders, his grip tightening on his crowbar as he strained his ears for the telltale sign of a radio or footsteps. It wasn’t long he had to wait for it.

Once the footsteps sounded close enough, he swung the crowbar out wildly, connecting with… something. It might have been a face or shoulder, but the cry of pain and surprise gave him a small amount of satisfaction as he swung again, another successful hit.

But Gordon hadn’t expected a gun.

With the flash of light, something slammed into his elbow, forcing him to drop the crowbar. The metal clanging was lost in all the other sound. Gordon let out a wordless cry as he dropped to his knees, tears pricking at his eyes as he clenched his teeth. His arm was completely unresponsive to any commands, only causing the fresh pain to flare up more. His left hand gripped the wound, the tightness an attempt to fight back against the pain and bleeding.

He almost didn’t hear the quick footsteps making their way towards him, but he was powerless to fight back at that moment. Fear froze him as he stared out blindly, unable to see the attacker.

Something shifted above him, almost like the air itself was moving, and soon the strange sound was joined by the wet gurgle of blood. The sound of something soft-yet-solid hitting the ground informed Gordon that Benrey had killed the boot boys. The shifting noise retreated behind him, everything turning to deathly silence.

A few tense seconds of silence passed by, and then the lights came back on.

“Well,” Not-Gordon hissed, refusing to look down at the injury, screwing their eyes shut, “that… hurts. A lot.”

“Mist- Mister Freeman, your arm!” Tommy cried.

Gordon nodded. “Yeah, I know, I-” he looked up, seeing the medical station. “I dunno if I can walk,” he looked back down. The suit might have looked mostly undamaged, but Gordon could remember the way it had been before it repaired itself, especially the plating on the legs. When it hadn’t absorbed all the impact during the initial cascade, resulting in his injured leg. The leg had only been damaged further from walking on it, and then the moment he had dropped to his knees.

Benry picked him up. Or rather, started dragging him over to the med station. It was rather ungraceful, but it did the job, so Gordon let himself go limp in their arms.

Propped up with his back against the wall, Gordon started to towards the medical station before wincing. “Can’t- ugh, this is stupid,” he tried with his left hand, but it was next to impossible from his position.

Thankfully Benrey decided to be helpful, opening up part of the HEV suit and connecting it for Gordon.

“Agh, no, stop,” Gordon yanked out the cord, wincing and looking at the gunshot wound in his elbow. “This is- I’m not sure this’ll work, it’s…” he took a breath. “It makes scar tissue, but the… I think it hit a nerve.”

“We can’t carry you everywhere,” Bubby reprimanded him. “You can live without an arm.”

“No, I don’t think I can,” Gordon gestured around the facility. “I can hardly swing, much less shoot, with my left hand. I won’t be able to defend myself.”

“I got it,” Benrey offered, not waiting for a response before picking Gordon up, who let out a yelp. Once again, the strange air-shifting sound made itself known.

Benry was supposed to be shorter than Gordon. Now, however, he was much taller and had two sets of arms – holding the physicist with the lower pair. Despite his initial surprise, Gordon curled up slightly, making himself small against their chest. His injured arm was tucked on the inside, and he carefully adjusted it into a more comfortable position. They tightened their grip around him.

There was a beat of silence after they had settled. Tommy looked between the two faces, a slight smile forming, while Dr. Coomer seemed surprised by Benrey’s new pair of arms. Bubby briefly showed a flash of interest, but rolled his eyes and looked away.

Then Bubby called, “Let’s _go_ ,” already leaving the room.

“You sure about this?” Gordon murmured as the others went ahead of them.

“Yeah bro, gotta help a friend out, right?” they shrugged. “’Sides,” they lowered their voice, “don’t want ‘em knowing I can heal ‘em up anytime.”

He looked up. “Wait, you’re gonna…?” he trailed off for a second. “You’re gonna… heal this?”

Benry nodded, though he didn’t look back at him.

Gordon let his head fall against the other’s chest, watching as they kept moving along.

“Thanks, man…” he mumbled, voice soft and genuine, “thank you.”

Both of them refrained from thinking about the future.

**Author's Note:**

> CW details: gunshot in arm, benrey gets extra limbs (also mention of more but it's left mostly undescribed), boot boys die  
> Some body horror and the deaths are no visual but there is auditory descriptions.
> 
> Feel free to kudos/comment your thoughts! Hope you enjoyed it


End file.
